The Missing Money Mystery: How a Moving Company's Trust Was Abused

A former employee of a Metro Detroit moving company is in hot water for allegedly stealing a huge amount of money. Deborah Beaudoin, who used to work as a financial controller, is accused of taking over $215, 000 from her employer, Rose Moving and Storage. The trouble started when Van Buren Township Police began investigating fraud at the company. They reached out to Homeland Security for help on September 4, 2023. The investigation revealed a clever scheme. Beaudoin allegedly ordered company debit cards under fake names like "R. Rose Moving" and "R. Storage. " She then loaded these cards with company money and withdrew the cash using ATMs at different banks. But how did she get away with it for so long? The company had a system where they would "front" money to truck drivers to cover initial expenses like gas and crew payments. Beaudoin used this system to her advantage. She would order cards in the drivers' names, load them with company funds, and then withdraw the money for herself.To cover her tracks, she allegedly created fake entries in the company ledger. She would list expenses like "repairs" and allocate the stolen money to these fake costs. This made it look like the money was being spent legitimately. The investigation found that Beaudoin obtained over 60 fraudulent company debit cards from 2017 to 2023. Her actions caught the attention of federal authorities because she used Huntington Bank’s ATM machines to withdraw the funds. This interstate activity led to her facing a federal charge of wire fraud. This case raises questions about internal controls and trust within companies. It's a reminder that even in small businesses, there need to be checks and balances to prevent such fraud.